Removable table attachment for beach umbrellas



2,805,109 REMOVABLE TABLE ATTACHMENT FOR BEACH UMBRELLAS Filed Sept. 29, 1955 Sept. 3, 1957 s. KOPMAR ATTORN 2,805,109- i V REMOVABLE TABLE ATTACrni/IENT non BEACH UMBRELLAS Samuel Kopmar, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application September 29, 1955, Serial No. 537,460

2 Claims. (Cl. 311-17) The present invention relates to an attachment for beach umbrellas which provides a table surface greatly adding to the usefulness of such beach umbrellas and which attachment may be readily applied to, and removed from, the umbrella shaft without in any way altering the construction of the beach umbrella.

Beach umbrellas have become very popular in recent years and are composed of an umbrella shaft with one pointed end adapted to be inserted into the ground and a collapsible and expandible umbrella shade at the other end thereof. It frequently happens that on the beach or in the backyard the user of such an umbrella desires to play cards, serve refreshments or the like, and this necessitates the use of a separate table such as a card table or an outdoor or garden table, which has obvious disadvantages and inconveniences. While attachments for beach umbrellas have heretofore been proposed, they have not been adopted or generally used because they are unduly expensive or require too much mechanical manipulation and, therefore, there has been a need for some time of a simple, inexpensive attachment for beach umbrellas which provides a firm surface so constructed as to enable the playing of cards thereon and/ or the serving of beverages.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a simple, inexpensive table attachment for beach umbrellas which can be readily applied to, and removed from, the beach umbrella shaft and which provides suitable means for playing cards, serving refreshments and the like. Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a rigid, circular table attachment for beach umbrellas which can be applied over and removed from the shaft quickly and easily and firmly secured in any desirable position on the umbrella shaft. A further object of the invention resides in the provision of such a table attachment with receptacles for beverage glasses and with means for holding playing cards in position against the wind. Other and further objects and advantages will be understood and appreciated hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 shows a side elevational view of my new table attachment applied to a beach umbrella shown in broken lines;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the table attachment itself;

Fig. 3 is an inverted view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a medial sectional view taken along line 4--4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken through the means for securing the attachment to the umbrella shaft.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numeral indicates a conventional beach umbrella of any desired construction, the shaft of which has the usual pointed or sharpened lower end for insertion into the ground. My new table attachment is designated, as a whole, by the numeral 11, and it will be appreciated from Fig. 1 that this is applied to the shaft of the beach umbrella over the pointed or sharpened end and secured in place at the desired vertical height. This table attachment 11 comited States fl m v Patented Sept. 3, 1 957 prises a rigid, one-piece disk 12 of 'Masonite or any other suitable material, such as wood, metal or plastic. The upper surface of member 12 is fiat and unobstructed throughout all but the center portion of its area to provide a maximum amount of useful surface, and to member 12 centrally thereof and underneath the same is secureda reinforcing member 13 riveted or otherwisesecured to member 12" b y ir'ieaiis of the fastening instrumentalities 14, it being understood however that members 12 and 13 may be fabricated or molded all in one piece esepcially when it is formed of metal or plastic.

A plurality of receptacles 15, usually but not necessarily four in number, provide suitable supports for beverage glasses, and these receptacles are of suflicient depth to hold the glasses firmly in position against undesired lateral movement even if the member 11 should be somewhat out of horizontal alignment. These receptacles 15 are made of any suitable material, such as aluminum, and are fitted snugly in openings 16 provided for that purpose in the member 13. Member 12 is also provided with a central aperture 17 which is just slightly larger in diameter than the outside diameter of a beach umbrella shaft so that the attachment may be readily slid along said shaft until it reaches the desired vertical position, at which time it is securely locked or clamped in the selected position by means of a clamping band 18 and tightening screw 19, which acts on an arcuate clamping piece 20, between which and the opposite wall of the depending tubular collar 21 the umbrella shaft is held. The depending tubular collar 21 is preferably several inches in length so that it enables a firm positioning of the attachment without wobbling relative to the umbrella shaft. The clamping band 18 is suitably secured in any desired manner, as by riveting, to the collar 21 at a point diametrically opposite the tightening screw 19. Member 12 is also provided with an elongated spring band 22, riveted or otherwise suitably secured centrally at 23 to the member 12 and under each end of which playing cards or the like may be placed and held against displace ment by the wind.

The foregoing is presented as illustrative and not as limitative since, within the purview of the invention and the appended claims, various modifications may be made in the details of the materials employed and their size and shape; for example, the attachment, while preferably circular, may be square or of other shape, and the receptacle apertures and receptacles may be varied as to their spacing, size or arrangement. It is also to be understood that the particular clamping means shown may be varied in its construction. The receptacles, while shown as cup-shaped, may be varied in shape and in depth, being preferably relatively shallow. The receptacles and collar are held in position in any suitable manner between members 12 and 13 as by friction or by a small lateral flange extending between the contiguous portions of said members.

I claim:

1. An attachment for a beach umbrella comprising a rigid disk having a central aperture and a plurality of apertures around said central aperture, a smaller central member secured beneath said disk and provided with apertures registering with the apertures in said disk, beverage receptacles secured in position between said disk and central member in alignment with those apertures around the central aperture, a tubular collar depending from said central member axially of the central apertures for the sliding passage of a beach umbrella shaft and means for clamping the collar and hence the attachment to such shaft.

2. In an attachment for a beach umbrella, a rigid unitary disk having a central aperture and a plurality of apertures around said central aperture, a smaller central member secured beneath said disk and provided with apertures registering with the apertures in the disk and beverage receptacles secured in position in those apertures around the central aperture of the disk and smaller central member and being of greater depth than the combined thicknesses ofthe disk and smaller central member.

References Cited mine file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,173,665 Iakab Feb. 29, 1916 Strickland Aug. 25, 1931 Strasser Feb. 13, 1940 Romeyn Aug. 4, 1942 Germanotta May 8, 1945 Crumpler June 12, 1951 Barnin July 15, 1952 Barbin Dec. 9, 1952 Senior, .et a1 Feb. 1, 1955 Wheeler Apr. 24, 1956 

